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The Connecticut Counseling Centers' Waterbury branch on Midland Road offers methadone treatment to help people overcome addictions to heroin and opiate drugs. It's the only methadone clinic in Waterbury. Darlene Douty Republican American

WATERBURY — Contrary to the claims of a doctor proposing a new methadone clinic in the city, Connecticut has an ample supply of addiction services for people willing to use them, experts say.

New Era Rehabilitation, which has offices in New Haven and Bridgeport, filed a certificate of need application with the State Office of Health Care Access in early August.

Dr. Ebenezer Kolade, the CEO and medical director of New Era Rehabilitation, wants to open the facility at 447 Meriden Road, which is next to Chase Elementary School. It would treat 250 patients in its first year, 375 in its second year and 500 in its third year, according to its application.

According to New Era Rehabilitation's filing, Waterbury has 859 patients in methadone treatment compared to 3,865 in New Haven. Kolade says that disparity reflects a lack of availability in the area.

"The better they're treated, the more Waterbury will improve," Kolade said. "You can't write people off because they have a disease. You have to treat them so they can come back and become productive citizens."

But the need for methadone treatment may be much less than what Kolade claims.

"I don't believe Waterbury is under serviced," said Cathy Awwad, who has experience working as a pharmacist at area methadone clinics. "Those seeking treatment are getting treatment."

Methadone is a drug used to wean people off heroin and synthetic opiate drugs, including Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet. There is one methadone clinic in Waterbury: a branch of CT Counseling Centers at 4 Midland Road.

Methadone isn't the only way to treat heroin and opiate addictions. Suboxone, which is also used to fight the addictions, comes in the form of tablets or film that is placed under the tongue.

Many doctors who treat addiction turn to such medicines only as a last resort. Counseling is usually the preferred method, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Across the state, the number of patients being treated with methadone "has been pretty consistent" during the last few years, said Mary Kate Mason, spokeswoman for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

And methadone treatment is becoming more available.

In Torrington, a methadone clinic was approved earlier this year after a pair of lawsuits challenging the city's efforts to deny it. The clinic plans to treat 125 patients.

Anecdotally, it seems opiate addiction is on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 45 people die every day from a prescription opioid overdose.

In 2010, a Republican-American investigation found that nine of 12 police investigations into overdose deaths in Torrington were caused by either heroin or an opiate-based prescription drug.

At the time, Campion Ambulance reported the number of patients in Cheshire, Waterbury and Torrington it treated with Narcan — a drug that reverses the effects of an opiate overdose — rose from 169 in 2008 to 198 in 2011, a 21 percent increase.

While methadone clinics can help drug addicts stop using before they overdose, they also generate large sums of money for their owners.

In Waterbury, New Era Rehabilitation — a for-profit business — would generate $4.1 million a year in revenue with total expenses of $3.6 million, according to its application. The business predicts net income of $347,436 after taxes.

During its first year of operation, New Era expects 80 percent of patient costs would be paid by Medicaid, 15 percent by Medicare, 3 percent by commercial insurers and 2 percent of its patients would be uninsured.

" I never knew what this place was but on the rare occasion I drove by it there seem to be hundreds of people going in and out of there. Now it all makes sense. If someone could only tell me what the line is every once in a while that wraps around the church facing Watertown Ave across from Municipal Stadium. "

" I think we should open a rave bar next door to Dr. Ebenezer Kolade's home. I'm sure his quant neighborhood is underserved by late night loud music, drug use, loud speeding cars and gun fire.

Who owns the property?? We want the person's name that would rent to a business that attracts these dirtbags to within feet of a grammar school. Sell a joint to your buddy within 1000ft of a school...mandatory prison. Sell meth 75ft from a school...nothing??

This property is owned by 447 MERIDEN ROAD LLC..Maybe the Rep-Am can put a name to the property? "

" Here's an article (link below) about methadone use in Canadian prisons. Of particular interest is the quote "We had a psychiatrist here who dropped that job to open a methadone clinic full-time, because it was so lucrative."

Treating drug addiction with drugs is no solution, it's just a way to make money off of other people's problems.

" For you uninformed, especially Conservative 1 & Raechel, thank god for the Methadone clinic in Waterbury! After an invasive surgery and a drug dealing Pain Care Physician, I became addicted to pain meds. With the help of a few of the councelors at the clinic I was able to beat my addition. I left the clinic 4 years ago and have been drug free for over 10 years. Now I'm productive part of the community, a respected business owner and most importantly have a loving family. "

" Conservative1, your ignorance is showing! People who go the clinic are subjected to random urine screenings to determine if they are using anything, even poppy seeds on a hard roll will show a positive for opiates. As for all those "dirtbags"' at least they are working toward living a drug free life, the people you should worry about are still out there trying to figure out if there is anything in your house worth stealing. "

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